"The torment of precautions often exceeds the dangers to be avoided. It is sometime better to abandon one's self to destiny." Napoleon Bonaparte
Introduction:
Alice ran out of the house in a flurry, her scarf trailed behind her pixie-like form as she hurried out through their vast land looking for her family. She was thinking a mile a minute. The sudden vision that assaulted her was disconcerting, something she hadn't seen before. The very thought of what was to come made her shudder.
This is big, very big, she told herself.
It was a great day and Alice knew where her family would be. A cloudy day always find the Cullens out in the clearing, taking a long and leisurely walk around their land.
Alice came to a stop in front of the tree where the rest of the Cullens were converged. Her golden eyes held a tinge of fear, excitement, and nervousness as she gazed at them. It wasn't unusual for the little creature to house many emotions in her petite form but something in the way her eyes kept darting around warned everyone that something was afoot.
Alice came to stand next to Jasper and squeezed his hand. One look into her eyes told Jasper that something of utmost significance was on her mind. Jasper had trouble keeping his usual light expression because of the many emotions that bombarded him at this given time.
Edward instantly noticed Jasper's turmoil and decided to take control of the situation.
"Hey Alice…. When? How long before she gets here?" the questions came out much more rigid and hurried than he intended.
All eyes focused on Edward accompanied by puzzled expressions, the tone of his voice alerted everyone that he knew what Alice and Jasper were suddenly uptight about. The very thing they all dreaded was another visit from the Volturi.
"She?" Carlisle asked.
After a few milliseconds of tortured indecision, Alice heaved a long sigh and uttered the word that no one in the family had heard of, except for Carlisle.
"Aemerria."
Shock spread through Carlisle's features as Edwards gaze swung towards him. Both of the vampires held a silent conversation before Carlisle cleared his suddenly dry throat to explain.
"Aemerria is something akin to mysticism in the vampire world. Her name and her very existence, is known solely by the most ancient vampires in our world. She is like a goddess, an untouchable being. "
Carlisle began pacing as he searched for the best possible way to describe Aemerria. "She was last seen during the 100 years war. Many vampires took this war a bit too far. They turned it into a feeding-spree and particularly during those years, some fanatical patriots or some would say, idiots, began to turn rural peasants into newborns creating more havoc and unrest."
None of his family members had ever seen Carlisle so worked up. Who was this Aemerria that was able to throw one of the most controlled vampires into a frenzy of emotion and obvious discomfort?
"Aemerria...her appearance forced the Volturi to annihilate all the out of control vampires and finally all their creators. This brought about the Volturi's dominance and ultimate rule. Aemerria doesn't care for much except keeping some peace among the ones who wanted it.
The Volturi willingly accepted the role of peacekeepers, earning the pardon from Aemerria to spare their lives and leave them be. If not for her mercy, they would have been a defunct group had she decided to end their rule."
Jacob, being the lone werewolf in family of vampires, was paying close attention to every word Carlisle said. Their topic instantly evoked fear and reverence among the group. The mere mention of her name brought an air of unreality to the atmosphere.
Edward interrupted Carlisle's stream of words, "What could one vampire as powerful as Aemerria possibly want from us?"
Edward got to the crux of the matter, what could Aemerria want with them? If Aemerria was alienated with the Volturi then the war that had been avoided long ago might come to reality. There was no time to warn the other vampires, nor would Stefan's and Vladimir's – the two Romanian vampires – wish for vengeance ever be satiated.
If Aemerria was indeed coming on behalf of the Volturi then doom was their immediate future. Numbers wouldn't even mean a thing considering who they might be up against. There was no way to beat an entity such as Aemerria, Carlisle was very aware of the fact.
The vampire's facial features had lost all color gained from their last hunting trip and looked very close to death-like pale. Grim expressions clouded everyone's face as they were all thinking along Emmet's train of thought: they would not go without a fight.
Edward turned to Alice and requested, "Try and check our future."
Alice gave it a try but not withstanding which vampire's future she focused on or whatever way she tried to get a glimpse at, the future she saw was nothing but blackness. A baffled look etched on her features as she turned to her family and simply shook her head in a helpless gesture.
This was a rarity as far as her capability of seeing the future or things to happen. The realization that the entity that they were about to meet was responsible for her empty prediction left her alarmed and discouraged.
That was all Jacob needed to hear, he gave Renesmee a chaste kiss on the cheek before he excused himself to phase so he could send a call to his pack members. Leah came running in less than five minutes with Garrett next to her. She surprisingly had imprinted on the revolutionary Garrett about a year ago.
Seth came bounding in a few minutes after his sister, both siblings had stood by Jacob come storm and hail as his friends and loyal pack members.
A sudden gust of wind signaled an arrival before they heard the rustling of leaves coming from the south. A soft air breeze ruffled the women's hair adding an eerie, if not a supernatural feel, to what was to come. It was amazing considering they were supernatural creatures themselves but this was just too big for any of them. Not even the crazed Volturi elicited such a stirring from them.
From the trees a figure emerged, anticipation reigned as the female creature closed the distance to Carlisle's house. She was running fast that her feet barely touched the earth nor disturbed the ground where her feet passed through. As she neared her expression became more discernible, everyone that waited took tense positions as they gazed upon the unearthly creature.
Edward drew Bella and Renesmee close to him. He wrapped his pale white arms around his family protectively. The rest of the males did the same, holding onto their mates as if their lives depended on it.
Her eyes were two black abyss, they held no horizons – no limitations, her mouth was set in a straight line giving no hint of what the vampire was feeling, her straight eyebrows held themselves up with mysteriousness, and her high cheek bones that usually brought more vivacity to any face did nothing to the approaching figure's face. Her hair honey colored was braided from the top of her head splitting into two as they rested on her shoulder.
As the female continued her approach, her face registered a serene knowledge of the group assembled in front of her. She stopped a few feet before them and looked up; Edward had been trying to read her mind.
Her face lit up in a smile and they all understood the reason behind Aemerria's stony facade. Her smile was simply too unreal. If her smile had a strong effect on vampires they wondered to what extent would humans be affected.
Aemerria's smile widened, "Young vampire, you wish to read my thoughts." It was a statement, not a question. She shook her head sadly making her honey colored hair billow and settle comfortably around her thin shoulders.
"Could you but realize what you are attempting to do? Perhaps you would not wish to attempt such a feat." Her voice was the loveliest voice they had all heard, it had a musical ring to it but tainted with a tinge of wistfulness and sadness adding to the enchantment of the sound.
Carlisle was the first to react out of the stupor that seemed to have descended on his family, "Aemerria, if it would not offend, may I question your motives for your audience here?"
Aemerria turned to Carlisle, "I mean no harm to you or your coven. My intentions are pure." Her mouth curved into a small smile that did not seem to reach her eyes.
"There are rumors of a strange coven, some call the coven a "family," some golden eyed vampires that deny their vampire nature, to such extent that they forgo human blood and prefer that of animals.
Vegetarian vampires, the laughing stock for many." She looked questioningly at everyone. "Are you that coven?"
Everyone nodded in unison, unable to grasp the strange feeling that settled over them, calming and yet more edgy than they wanted.
Carlisle cleared his throat as he timidly approached the woman whose very presence intimidated them into submission and fear.
Her eyes swung to Jacob who was still in his wolf form. "A werewolf befriends a vampire coven? How can that be? Ahhhh, and you have imprinted on the offspring of this human turned vampire and the mind reader. How interesting the mix you have here.
Surely this is a family, your coven?" she asked no one in particular.
Jacob tensed and held his ground. He bared his fangs to challenge as the rest of his pack stood ready to shift at a moment's notice. Aemerria raked her black eyes over the pack, she smiled at the resolute look in their eyes.
She waved her hand to signal her pure intentions. The look radiating from her was pure curiosity that held no malice. Aemerria beckoned Jacob who did not budge. A flick of her fingers instantly sent the wolf running to her with its tail tucked in between its legs.
"Don't make me repeat myself. I said this before and I won't say it again, I mean you no harm. My curiosity got the best of me; I merely want to see for myself how can such creatures co-exist, natural enemies now bound together.
"Let me warn you now, my power knows no bounds; no one can escape me or my mind, so be the good beings that you are and give me what I seek."
She took one delicate hand and stroked Jacob's soft fur. Aemerria marveled at the beauty of the wolf standing in front of her. She was unconventional by nature, she had seen it all. All aberrations of nature, just like the gods wished upon all the creatures that walked this earth.
Everyone stood still, confusion marked their faces. All faces showed their inability to grasp the reason for her appearance and her obvious infatuation with the wolf in front of her.
Aemerria laughed at the blank faces that were seeking answers, eyes glues at her. She answered the question that was in everyone's mind.
"Life never ceased to amaze me. I came in search of vampires with an unusual lifestyle and it is a shape-shifter that has caught my attention."
She chuckled, "Shape-shifter…." her eyes took on a glassy form, and she kept stroking Jacob in an absent-minded way. Several minutes passed before she said a word, a smile slowly broke from her mouth, this time it finally reached her eyes, they became glossy almost ruby like. The Cullens stayed quiet, patiently waiting to hear what got her seemingly excited.
"So, destiny finally got it right!" She nodded her head as she marveled at the revelation that came to her. Once again all the superior forces that govern all beings although they couldn't be seen, these forces guides us, perhaps not directly making choices but certainly directing which paths we choose and what roads to take. Forces too great to be made trivial or insignificant; déjà vu, yin yang, good and evil were only some names that had been associated with the forces throughout history.
Aemerria was interrupted from her silent musing by the mind reading vampire. "If it would not offend, I would like to know what you meant by destiny finally getting it right?"
This vampire is diplomatic at its finest, but then again in order to survive in our world diplomacy was a weapon, if carefully wielded can wreak havoc. Aemerria studied Edward's calm but guarded demeanor.
"Destiny is a fickle force in our existence. It cannot be dissuaded, it gains momentum and will keep on trying, there is no way to stop it. It knows no mistakes, it gives no apologies, it is not human, hence it is not bound by our laws or morals."
Aemerria rested her gaze upon Bella and Edward. "Love is almost as strong as destiny, but combined they make a daunting duo."
"Love, like your earlier gods, was capricious by nature and its whims must be satisfied. When destiny takes pity on two loved ones, the consequences were either disastrous or magnificent. When the consequences were terrible, destiny vows to make right what went wrong. Hence the word reincarnation takes meaning, the two souls wandering and bereft were given another chance to let their love blossom. The pair of star crossed lovers was given a new opportunity to either let their love thrive or die."
She looked mockingly straight at Bella. "Do you think this was your first chance with love? You think that destiny had nothing to do with your happy ending?" Wildly she shook her head, "How wrong you are!"